Accused killers ordered woman to help, court hears

THE Supreme Court has heard that a Ballarat woman previously accused of murdering autistic teenager Timothy O’Brien had the charge against her dropped after she gave a new statement to police.

Lisa Trezise, 29, appeared in the Supreme Court yesterday where she pleaded guilty to lesser charges of assisting an offender, recklessly causing injury and criminal damage.

Having been on bail for most of last year, Trezise was taken into custody on October 21, 2013, and charged with murder.

Trezise, Darren Wilson, 33, and Joel Henderson, 40, all of Ballarat, were accused of bludgeoning the 14-year-old to death at a Scarsdale farmhouse in the early hours on January 5 last year.

However, Trezise was released on her own undertaking on November 22 last year when she entered pleas on the new charges.

A plea hearing in the Supreme Court yesterday heard Trezise provided a new 28-page statement to police around that same time.

Crown prosecutors allege Henderson initially began strangling, punching and then hitting Timothy in the head with the blunt side of an axe, before Wilson grabbed the axe, turned it over to the sharp side and chopped Timothy’s head a number of times.

Timothy had gone to the aid of his stepfather, Peter Williams, who had been lured to the property by Trezise and two teenage girls in order for Wilson to bash Mr Williams.

Wilson had become furious with Mr Williams, his first cousin, after a dispute over money and the belief that Mr Williams had told others he wanted Wilson to stay away from him.

Crown prosecutor Mark Rochford, SC, said Timothy, armed with a baseball bat, ran to the aid of his stepfather who was being bashed by Wilson.

Mr Rochford said Timothy hit both Wilson and Henderson with the bat.

“Timothy O’Brien then ran outside, being chased by Henderson, who was carrying the axe,” Mr Rochford said.

“Henderson had his hands around Timothy’s throat ... Trezise was told by Henderson to keep out of it and she saw him pick up the axe and hit Timothy.

“Wilson then picked up the axe and struck the deceased, Timothy O’Brien, to the head with the blade side or sharp end of the axe a number of times.”

The court heard Wilson then ordered Trezise to drive them from the scene.

Mr Rochford said that once back at Trezise’s Richards Street home, Wilson told Trezise to put Henderson in the shower, which she did.

He said Wilson then forced her to wash their clothes before later calling Trezise and warning her to say nothing to police.

David Risstrom, for Trezise, said his client accepted responsibility for her role in Timothy’s death and was a person who had difficulty standing up for herself, having suffered domestic violence in the past.

“She knows she’s made some very poor decisions,” Mr Risstrom told the court.

Mr Risstrom asked Justice Terry Forrest to consider a non-custodial sentence, with the Crown agreeing that a suspended sentence was in range.